A Partnership Without Pride

A large misconception upon entering marriage is the belief that getting married will solve all of a person's problems. This belief is unequivocally false, as seen by many divorced couples, or even happily married couples. Marriage isn't for the selfish; it's for the selfless. Goddard, in "Drawing Heaven into Your Marriage," explains that “love requires sacrificing oneself or making oneself unhappy or doing things that do not (at least eventually) serve one's individual best interests” (Goddard, p. 70). Even though some problems could be solved by having a partner to help you through it, it doesn't mean that this kind of partnership can come automatically. Goddard adds that this kind of attitude, “assumes that my needs are to be met-and my spouse must do whatever is necessary to assure that they are met” (Goddard, p. 69). This couldn't be further from the truth. We should want, first and foremost, for our spouses to be happy above ourselves.

In his talk, entitled "Beware of Pride," President Benson addresses the true sins surrounding pride. He explains, “pride is essentially competitive in nature. We pit our will against God’s…They pit their perceptions of truth against God’s great knowledge, their abilities versus God’s priesthood power, their accomplishments against His mighty works.” (Benson, 1989). When we are being prideful, we are essentially telling God that our ways are above his ways. We are denying the true nature of our Heavenly Father, by relying on our own, imperfect, human nature.

Pride isn't just a problem between God and man. President Benson continues to explain, that “it was through pride that Christ was crucified. The Pharisees were wroth because Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, which was a threat to their position, and so they plotted His death” (Benson, 1989). Pride can ruin our relationships with other people. In Christ's case, others' pride sent him to the cross. Luckily, our Heavenly Father anticipated our imperfect natures. He prepared a plan that, in essence, invited us to humble ourselves. 

We live in the age of social media, where our self-worth is dependent on likes and comments, and for some, subscriptions. Even before this age, men had a dependence on the need for high status among others. President Benson explained that “the proud depend upon the world to tell them whether they have value or not. Their self-esteem is determined by where they are judged to be on the ladders of worldly success. They feel worthwhile as individuals if the numbers beneath them in achievement, talent, beauty, or intellect are large enough” (Benson, 1989). I'm thankful that our Heavenly Father gives us every opportunity to humble ourselves.

By accepting God's challenge to humble ourselves, we are more able to submit and accept influence from our spouse. Humility helps us to work in a true partnership with our spouse. When a marriage is based on a true partnership, then it is a little more likely for all a person's problems to be solved. With a little bit of hard work, and a spouse that's willing to do the same, our Heavenly Father can help us to achieve a partnership that can stand the test of time, and even eternity.